Hawaii on the way home

To ease our transition from our tropical island back to the central time zone we stopped off in Hawaii.

 We stayed at the Disney resort Aulani

 It's next to the Marriott in Ko'olina

 while we were waiting for check in we drove around Oahu

 The beach was nice, but after Okinawa and Thailand we couldn't help but compare.

 We were able to be on the beach without dive shoes, and that was nice.

 a present from me to me was snorkeling with spinner dolphins and green sea turtles

 the morning was dark and stormy, but as is usual for Hawaii, it cleared up nicely

 there is the pod underneath us

 they played around the boat, jumping, spinning (hence the name) and surfing in the wake

 so many of them, slapping the water, swimming upside down and playing

 they are good size

 racing along side

 surfing along the bow

 approaching the turtle cleaning station

 right above it

 then back to the marina

 the height of the mountains and the drop off of the water was such a contrast to Okinawa

 At the turtle cleaning station they came in to have the fish eat the parasites off them.

 The snorkeling was excellent, but it made me miss my regulator; I just can't hold my breath long enough to stay down with them as much as I like. Needing to breath, such a chore...

 from the balcony we could see humpback whales surfacing

 beautiful sunsets

 the kids favorite part was the pool area

 they had such a good time playing together

 and seeing the special guests

 poor kid was so sick at this point

 I just went round and round the lazy river to let him sleep.

 Hanging with Chip 'n Dale, we were wrapped in towels because 80 degrees felt cold

 

 

 Our youngest loved their aquarium.

 

 those fish are fun to watch

 Plumeria!

 Menehune - the Hawaiian playful dwarfs

 rainbows on the way to the PCC

 the dinner was fun, but we were all crazy sick

 putting on a good face nonetheless

 Mele Kalikimaka

Then it was time to trade in the sand for Utah snow